Target everything this time of year

The beaches are rebuilding and the sand bars are moving back into the surf zone. There are still many nice large drains to fish, from Assateague to Cape Henlopen. The surf fishing has gotten better on the weekdays, but the weekends have been ridiculous. If you want to fish weekends at the beach, go early or late.  

Surf anglers are targeting the smaller fish with DS Custom Tackle top and bottom rigs, mostly using Fishbites for bait, bloodworm and crab formulas.  Real bloodworms are pricey this year.  Sand fleas are easy to dig.  

The large fish - striped bass, black drum and blue fish - will hit a variety of baits.  Anglers are mostly using mullet to target bluefish, bunker chunks for striped bass and clam for drum.  Sand fleas work well for black drum and striped bass and avoid the scavengers that cut bait attracts. 

 This week’s weirdest catch was a sheepshead at Assateague.  These are way too early, but one was also caught up near Brigantine Beach in Jersey.   Stranger things have happened. They either blew up with the storm or were here on a warm water outlet and were pushed out. 

 Offshore anglers have been targeting sea bass.  Some charters are going for black drum in the Delaware Bay.  It all depends on what your catch flavor is for the trip.  Call ahead as some of these are booking up real fast.  Again, fish weekdays for more selection and less competition. 

 The best bet is to just get out and fish and target everything this time of year.  In a couple of weeks, the runs will be ending or over.  Then we wait for the pompano and other weird summer Gulf Stream fish. 

Remember, bluefish is a three-per angler creel limit, with no size limit.  Striped bass is a slot limit, 28 to 35 inches.  Retaining a fish out of the slot for any purpose is illegal.  

We do still have the summer striped bass slot season, or the period from July 1 through Aug. 31, when the allowable slot limit size is 20 through 25 inches in the Delaware Bay, Delaware River and their tributaries.

Flounder action has been okay for keepers but a little slow, however the season is just getting warmed up.  There has been decent action at the Cape Henlopen fishing pier.  Spot and croaker are in and that will help get the flounder more active.